Light Emitting Diode Structures

ABSTRACT

Light emitting diode (LED) structures are described that include a first layer and a light-generating layer, wherein light generated in the light-generating layer generally emerges from the LED structure through the upper surface of the first layer. The coupling out of light generated by spontaneous emission is enhanced by the presence of patterning in the first layer, which may take the form of an embedded photonic quasicrystal, a photonic structure comprising an amorphous array of subregions, or a zone plate structure. The invention provides the benefit of improved light extraction from the LED without undesirable far field illumination patterns.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to light emitting diodes (LEDs) and inparticular to LEDs with improved efficiency.

BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION

LEDs have many potential applications. For example, LEDs can be used indisplays, such as LCDs and in projection, entertainment, generallighting and automotive applications where high brightness and compactillumination is required. The benefits of LEDs over conventionalincandescent lighting and halogen lighting are high brightness, longlife, instant operation, energy saving, environmental friendliness,durability and compactness.

Notwithstanding those benefits, most of the light generated inside aconventional LED cannot be efficiently extracted from the active layer.Almost 80% of the light generated in an LED is outside the escape coneof the structure. Most of the light remains either guided in the core ortotally internally reflected in the high refractive index substratelayer.

The potential for increasing the efficiency, and in particular the lightextraction efficiency, of LEDs has long been recognised. For example,the difference between the refractive index of a high index substrate(n˜3.5) and that of the epoxy used to encapsulate the LED (n˜1.5) islarge, resulting in a relatively small critical angle for total internalreflection. This in turn dramatically restricts the external quantumefficiency compared to that of the internal quantum efficiency. It hasbeen realised that using an optically transparent conductive layer and acladding with a low refractive index and transmitting substrates with alow refractive index improves light extraction efficiencies.

FIG. 1 illustrates a method that has been used to improve directionalityof light emitted from the LED structure. FIG. 1 a shows the 6 lightescape cones from the active layer of an LED. FIG. 1 b shows the use ofa Distributed Bragg Reflector 104 located underneath the active layer,which reflects light back up and out of the LED. The use of aDistributed Bragg Reflector is used to direct more light out of the topof the LED structure emitting power in a specific angular cone. Thistechnique is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,015,719.

Alternatively, or additionally, the use of microlens arrays placed onthe top surface of an LED structure can provide enhanced extraction.This was first proposed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,087,949. It has also beensuggested by S Moller et al. in Journal of Applied Physics 91, 3324 thatattaching the microlens array on an organic LED (OLED) glass substratecan provide similar benefits to those found with semiconductors LEDs,where an external coupling efficiency improvement of ×2.3 across thecomplete viewing half space was observed.

An illustration of the use of microlens arrays on the surface of an LEDstructure is shown in FIG. 2. Numeral 201 shows the out of planecoupling of light. A microlens array 202 is placed on the top of a glasssubstrate 203 which covers the active layer of a conventional LED.

FIG. 3 shows the use of angled facets to preferentially reflect lightcombined in the active layer out of the top surface of the structure.The active layer 302 and the overlying cladding layer have tapered sidewalls 305. A metal contact 303 is shown on the top surface. The lightgenerated in the active layer reflects off the walls 305 and exits thetop of the structure. This is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,015,719.

The use of high index polymers that are optically clear cansignificantly reduce reflection losses at the semiconductorsubstrate/air interface. This is illustrated in FIG. 4. FIG. 4 a shows aconventional low index gel 401 on an LED. The escape cone angle from theactive layer 404 is shown as 402. The fundamental waveguide mode angle403 lies outside the escape cone. FIG. 4 b shows the use of a high indexgel. The use of a high index gel 406 provides a reduced refractive indexcontrast and hence provides a larger escape cone angle 407 for thetotally internally reflected light. The fundamental waveguide mode angle405 now lies within the escape cone. A light output increase of around20% can be achieved by the variation of refractive index from 1.46 to1.60.

Another approach taken to improve the extraction efficiency of LEDs istaught by Schnitzer et al in Applied Physics Letters 63, 2174 (1993).This paper describes the use of random texturing or roughening of thesurface of the semiconductor LED as shown in FIG. 5. Referring to FIG.5, the roughening 503 on the surface of the LED provides multipleminiature domains with different escape angles. When the totallyinternally reflected light from the active layer 502 is incident on oneof those surfaces it has an increased probability of lying in the escapeangle of that surface as compared to a totally flat surface. Thisprovides an improved extraction efficiency. While this method isefficient at extracting light that is experiencing multiple totalinternal reflections due to absorptive regions within an LED, the lightis rapidly attenuated and hence does not contribute to orders ofmagnitude light extraction and improvement.

In U.S. Pat. No. 5,779,924 the use of periodic texturing on at least oneinterface of the structure is described and is suggested to improve theextraction of light out of the active core layer 603. This is shown inFIG. 6. The periodic texturing 602 directs more light out of thestructure without totally internally reflecting the light inside thestructure, where it is greatly attenuated.

Instead of periodic texturing, photonic crystals have been used toachieve the same effect of enhanced light extraction. This is describedin U.S. Pat. No. 5,955,749.

Surface roughening, periodic texturing and regular photonic crystals allenhance light extraction from LEDs through the same mechanism, that ofmodifying the surface profile to improve the probability that lightgenerated in the active layer incident on the surface will be incidentat an angle to the surface which allows it to escape from the structure.

Regular photonic crystals (PCs) can also lead to greater lightextraction via another mechanism. It is well known that it is generallynot desirable to etch into the active layer due to increased surfacerecombination of carriers, which affects the overall photoluminescencequantum efficiency of the active layer. Nevertheless, if the PC is inclose proximity to the active layer it is possible to enhance the rateof spontaneous emission through the Purcell effect. In the Purcelleffect it is suggested that the spontaneous emission of an atom placedwithin a wavelength-sized microcavity can be increased when compared toa bulk structure. A regular photonic crystal 704, as shown in FIG. 7,can confine an optical mode in a “cavity” 707 by virtue of the effectiverefractive index contrast experienced by the optical mode in the activelayer 705. The emitted light is shown as 703.

Erchak et al, in App. Phys. Lett. Vol. 78, no. 5, 29 Jan. 2001, Pg.563-565 have reported a 6-fold increase in light due to increasedextraction and radiation efficiency by the use of a PC embedded in anLED.

Alternative proposed designs suggest grating type PC structures. In thisset-up it is suggested that the direct transmitted mode drains only 20%of the total photons while 50% of the light is confined in high indexguided modes. The high-index guided modes are very efficiently coupledinto external modes and launched out of the structure.

However, due to the highly diffractive nature of regular photoniccrystals, the far field emission out of the top of LED structures islocalised into Bragg spots (which follows the periodic lattice nature ofthe PC structure), as shown in FIG. 8. FIG. 8 shows in cross-section aregular photonic crystal 802 in an LED structure with an active layer804, as shown in FIG. 7. The structure is also shown from above. The outof plane coupled light 801 forms a far filed illumination pattern 805consisting of a number of Bragg spots. For most applications it isdesirable to achieve more even illumination in the far field.

It is an object of the present invention to provide improved lightextraction from LEDs whilst obtaining desirable far-field illumination.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to a first aspect of the present invention, a light emittingdiode (LED) structure including an active core layer and at least onesubstrate layer having a first refractive index, comprises a2-dimensional photonic quasicrystal (PQC) in the structure, the photonicquasicrystal comprising an array of regions having a second refractiveindex, the array exhibiting long range order but short range disorder.The long range order is associated with diffractive properties of thestructure.

Quasicrystals are aperiodic structures which possess a type of longrange translational order called quasiperiodicity. A detailed discussionof quasicrystals is found in “Quasicrystals: A matter of definition” byRon Lifshitz, Foundations of Physics, vol. 33, no. 12, December 2003 andincludes a mathematical definition of quasiperiodic. In thisspecification, quasicrystal should be taken to include all quasiperiodicstructures, excluding regular periodic structures.

Preferably, the Fourier transform of the array has a degree ofrotational symmetry n, where n>6. The high degree of symmetry ofphotonic quasicrystals of this type results in photonic bandgaps with ahigh degree of isotropy. Complete bandgaps can be achieved even with alow refractive index contrast.

The bandgap may be designed (by varying the spacing between the nearestneighbour regions, as well as the diameter, depth and index of theregions) so that a stopband overlaps with the emission spectrum of theactive layer in the LED. Bandgap design for regular photonic crystals inthis way is well known. Preferably, the bandgap is in all directions andfor all polarisations.

LEDs incorporating photonic quasicrystals in accordance with the presentinvention have an improved extraction efficiency over conventional LEDsand over LEDs incorporating regular photonic crystals. Quasicrystalstructures offer a number of benefits. For example, more isotropicbandgaps found in Photonic quasicrystals leads to greater modeconfinement and hence greater extraction efficiency. It is noted thatordinary photonic crystals suffer from anisotropic bandgaps which do notoverlap for different propagation directions (except for high refractiveindex contrasts) and hence do not confine a single wavelength of lightwith the same penetration depth in all directions. Furthermore, the longrange order which is a property of quasicrystals leads to more uniformfar field diffraction patterns. Close packing of regions made possiblein quasicrystal structures leads to a greater surface area through whichphotons can exit the structure and hence greater extraction efficiency.

Preferably, the substrate layer is a dielectric layer and thequasicrystal is a variation in refractive index extending partially orcompletely across the layer. Alternatively, an additional layer ofdifferent refractive index, or formed from a metal, can be positioned inthe substrate layer or between the core layer and the substrate layer,the additional layer comprising an array of regions arranged in aquasicrystal geometry.

The quasicrystal may be in the form of a Fibonacci spiral pattern.Alternatively, the array may be in a Penrose tiling pattern. It may alsobe in a non-uniform Euclidean tiling pattern.

An LED in accordance with the present invention may include photonicquasicrystals in more than one layer. For, example, the active layer maybe sandwiched between a pair of photonic quasicrystal layers. The LEDmay include a plurality of different photonic quasicrystals or acombination of photonic quasicrystals and ordinary photonic crystals.

The substrate layer may include a section of photonic quasicrystal thatis repeated periodically.

The regions of quasicrystal may be of any shape and size, and may varyin their geometric or material properties across the array. Thequasicrystal may include regions of tunable material to provide for atunable optical output.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, a light emittingdiode (LED) structure including an active core layer and a least onesubstrate layer having a first refractive index, comprises a2-dimensional photonic band structure in the substrate layer, thephotonic band structure comprising an array of regions having a secondrefractive index, wherein each region has a predetermined constantspacing from at least one other region and each region is spaced fromall other regions by a predetermined minimum distance but wherein thearray of regions is amorphous.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, a method ofextracting light from an LED structure comprises the step of providing a2-dimensional photonic quasicrystal in the LED structure, the photonicquasicrystal exhibiting long range order but short range disorder.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, a method ofmanufacturing an LED structure comprises the steps of:

providing an active core layer;

providing at least one substrate layer; and

forming a photonic quasicrystal in the substrate layer, the photonicquasicrystal exhibiting long range order but short range disorder.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, a method ofmanufacturing an LED structure comprises the steps of:

providing an active core layer;

providing at least one substrate layer having a first refractive index;and

forming a photonic band structure in the substrate layer, the photonicband structure comprising an array of regions having a second refractiveindex, wherein each region has a predetermined constant spacing from atleast one other region and each region is spaced from all other regionsby a predetermined minimum distance but wherein the array of regions isamorphous.

LEDs in accordance with the first or second aspect of the invention maybe incorporated into a great many optical systems such as a vehicleheadlamp; or a dashboard display, a projection system or traffic lights,to name a few examples.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Examples of the present invention will now be described in detail withreference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of an LED including a distributedBragg reflector;

FIG. 2 is a schematic illustration of an LED with a microlens array onone surface;

FIG. 3 is a schematic illustration of an LED with tapered sidewalls;

FIG. 4 illustrates the use of different refractive index gels on thesurface of an LED;

FIG. 5 is a schematic illustration of an LED with a roughened surface;

FIG. 6 is a schematic illustration of an LED with a grating structure onone surface;

FIG. 7 is a schematic illustration of an LED with a photonic crystalstructure in one layer of the LED;

FIG. 8 illustrates a far field emission pattern for an LED with aphotonic crystal in one layer;

FIG. 9 shows cross sections of three different positions for photonicquasicrystals in an LED in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 10 shows in detail a typical LED design;

FIG. 11 shows an LED design in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 12 illustrates a far field emission of a LED with a 12-foldsymmetric quasicrystal etched into the structure;

FIG. 13 shows the far field emission using a Fibonacci spiralquasicrystal structure;

FIG. 14 illustrates variation in quasicrystal structure and the effecton out-of-plane coupling;

FIG. 15 illustrates possible quasicrystal geometries;

FIG. 16 illustrates the generation of repeated quasicrystal structuresfor use in LEDs;

FIG. 17 illustrates a zone plate structure in an LED, over which thepresent invention offers advantages;

FIG. 18 illustrates an amorphous photonic band structure for use in anLED in accordance with the present invention; and

FIG. 19 illustrates a tunable quasicrystal for use in an LED inaccordance with the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

There are three possible uniform tilings of the plane by regularpolygons, using squares, triangles or hexagons. In 1-uniform tilingsthere is only one type of vertex in the plane. Additionally there are 13different orientations for filling the space using 1-uniform(Archimedian) tilings. These tiling patterns form the basis of what, inthis specification, will be referred to as regular 2D photonic crystals.Regular 2D photonic crystals are typically formed in dielectric materialand have an array of regions forming a periodic variation in refractiveindex, the periodicity based on one of the uniform tilings of the plane.The simplest example of a photonic crystal of this type is an array ofholes in a dielectric slab, an etched air rod being positioned at eachvertex of a uniform tiling pattern.

Photonic crystals offer unique ways to tailor light and the propagationof electromagnetic (EM) waves. By analogy to electrons in a crystal, EMwaves propagating in a structure with a periodically-modulateddielectric constant set up Bloch modes that form photonic bandstructures. Due to the dielectric contrast and periodicity, photonicbandgaps are set up where EM propagation is forbidden.

2-dimensional photonic crystals have been suggested for use in LEDs toimprove light extraction. There are two mechanisms by which photoniccrystals can improve light extraction from LEDs:

(1) Surface patterning can increase the likelihood of light escaping thestructure before being totally internally reflected and attenuated inthe substrate of the LED;

(2) Enhancement of spontaneous emission in the active layer by thePurcell effect.

However, regular 2-dimensional photonic crystals in LEDs give rise tooften undesirable far field diffraction patterns. Furthermore, thePurcell effect has a limited effect using regular 2-dimensional photoniccrystals in LED structures as light confinement is not isotropic.

In one embodiment of the present invention, a 2-dimensional quasicrystalis used in a layer of a LED structure other than the active layer. Aphotonic quasicrystal (PQC) is a photonic band structure that exhibitsshort range translational disorder but long range, quasiperiodic order.Examples are described by Zoorob et al. In Nature 2000, vol. 404, 13Apr. 2000 and possess complete bandgaps even in low index materials.Photonic quasicrystals have very isotropic bandgaps. Quasicrystalsprovide benefits both in terms of the output light pattern generated bythe LED in which they are embedded and in terms of the Purcell effect.

Photonic quasicrystals are formed in the same way as regular photoniccrystals. A 2-dimensional quasicrystal can be composed of an array ofrods of dielectric material or an array of holes in a dielectricmaterial. Generally, a 2-dimensional quasicrystal can be described as anarray of rods of a second refractive index in a background material of afirst refractive index. In the present invention, the photonicquasicrystal is designed by selecting the spacing between the nearestneighbour rods as well as the diameter, depth and index of the rods, sothat it overlaps with the emission spectrum of the active layer in theLED. This provides wavelength selectivity as well as enhanced modalconfinement. Ideally, the bandgap is in all directions and for allpolarisations.

The Purcell effect will now be briefly described. The spontaneousemission enhancement factor described by the Purcell effect is given bythe following equation:

$P = {\frac{3}{4\pi^{2}}\left( \frac{\lambda}{n} \right)^{3}\frac{Q}{V}}$

where λ=wavelength, n=refractive index V=volume of cavity, Q=confinementfactor (which is proportional to the time a photon is confined in thecavity).

From this equation it is clear that the smaller the volume the largerthe enhancement factor. By placing an appropriately designed photonicquasicrystal structure with strong light confinement (ideally with abandgap overlapping the emission spectrum of the active layer) close tothe active layer small confinement volumes can be produced throughoutthe quasicrystal structure without the need for defects. If the light isemitted in the vicinity of the photonic bandgap the high Q factor givesrise to strong localisation effects in the active layer, leading todramatic increases in spontaneous emission. The fact that photonicquasicrystals have such isotropic bandgaps further enhances theconfinement and hence the spontaneous emission. It should be noted inthis regard that regular 2-dimensional photonic crystals haveanisotropic bandgaps which do not overlap for all propagation directionsand hence would not confine the light sufficiently in all directions.

In an LED structure a photonic quasicrystal can be provided in one ofthe layers in a number of ways. The quasicrystal can be defined by avariation in the height of one of the layers or interfaces in the LED.Alternatively, a variation in the refractive index of a specific regioncan define the vertex of one element in the quasicrystal. The refractiveindex of the structure can be varied by doping the desired region bydiffusion or by ion implantation, while the height of a particular layercan be defined by etching a specific region. (Ion implantation is a wellknown technique and is described in Dearnaley, G., Freeman, J. H.,Nelson, R. S., Stephen, J. Ion Implantation; American ElsevierPublishing Co., New York, 1973; 802 pp.).

FIG. 9 illustrates four different examples in accordance with thepresent invention. FIG. 9 a shows schematically an LED structure inwhich a photonic quasicrystal 901 has been etched into the surface. FIG.9 b shows a photonic quasicrystal 902 embedded in one layer 903 of anLED structure. A structure of this type can be formed by etching in tothe desired layer and subsequently overgrowing the overlying layers.FIG. 9 c shows a photonic quasicrystal 904 formed by diffusing a dopantinto predetermined locations to locally vary the refractive index in thestructure. This can be achieved by lithographically defining a mask,which is later etched and used as a template for ion implantation ordiffusion. An electrical contact 905 and active layer 906 are shown, asin FIGS. 9 a and 9 b.

FIG. 9 d shows a photonic quasicrystal 908 in an LED structure whichpenetrates the active layer. This is possible using low surfacerecombination material systems such as a GaN material system 907,because in a GaN material system surface recombination effects are lesssignificant and hence do not affect the spontaneous emission as much asin other known LED material systems, such as GaAs. Forming the photonicquasicrystal in the active layer provides much greater confinement ofoptical modes (owing to increased effective refractive index contrast inthe active layer) and stronger interaction with the photonic bandstructure. This stronger confinement allows for both the formation ofsmaller cavities and higher Q factors. This dramatically enhances thePurcell effect. The Purcell effect in GaN, using a regular photoniccrystal is discussed in Shakya J., Kim K. H., et al., “Enhanced lightextraction in III-nitride UV Photonic Crystal light-emitting diodes”,APL vol. 85, no. 1, 5 Jul. 2004, Pg. 142-144.

FIG. 10 shows in detail a possible design for a high efficiencymicrocavity LED using a GaAs material system emitting at an approximatewavelength of 960 nm. This design was proposed in (IEEE J. Select Top.In Quan. Elect. Vol. 8, no. 2, Pg 238-247, March 2002) and incorporatesa high contrast DBR structure underneath the active layer 1002-1808.Each period of the DBR is composed of a layer of relatively low indexAlO_(x) (n˜1.7) and a layer of high index GaAs (n˜3.5). This provides alarge dielectric contrast reflector giving rise to 92% of the downwardemitting light being reflected back up.

Sitting on top of the DBR is the thin p-n junction. Squeezed between thep-n junction is a GRIN-SCH (Graded index separate confinementheterostructure) to confine the carriers and the light emission in asmaller active region, giving rise to a lower emission threshold.

The p electrical contact 1021 and the n electrical contact 1022 aredeposited on layer 1019 and layer 1009 respectively. The layers1002-1019 are grown using MBE (molecular beam epitaxy) or MOCVD (MetalOrganic Chemical Vapour Deposition). The fabrication involves sixphotolithographic steps. A first photolithographic process to define thedeep trenches is performed. A wet etch (using concentrated H₃PO₄:H₂O₂)is used to form deep trenches 1024 for the initiation of oxidation (2 hrat 450° C.) of the AlGaAs DBR layers. A second photolithographic processto define the 1022 contact location is spun. A selective wet etch toremove the top AlGaAs layers 1016-1018 and the top GaAs 1018-1019 isused. A third photolithographic process is used to evaporate then-contact composed of Ni (10 nm)-Ge(25 nm)-Au(50 nm)-Ni(20 nm)-Au(100nm). A fourth photolithographic process to spin an inert material intothe deep trench (1824) is performed. A fifth photolithographic processis finally used to evaporate the p-contact of Au(200 nm).

Layers 1011-1017 are shown in enlarged form in FIG. 10 for clarity.Table A below described the layers referenced in FIG. 10, with theirthicknesses and material.

ITEM COMPOUND THICKNESS DESCRIPTION 1001 GaAs 400 mm Substrate andbuffer 1002 Oxidised 120 nm Bottom of multilayer stackAl_(0.98)Ga_(0.02)As 1003 GaAs 88 nm 1004 Oxidised 120 nm 2^(nd) periodof DBR stack Al_(0.98)Ga_(0.02)As 1005 GaAs 88 nm 1006 Oxidised 120 nm3^(rd) period of DBR stack Al_(0.98)Ga_(0.02)As 1007 GaAs 88 nm 1008Al_(0.98)Ga_(0.02)As 120 nm Top of multilayer stack 1009 n-doped GaAs 78nm Lower GRIN-SCH structure 1010 n-doped 20 nm Lower GRIN-SCH structureAl_(0.9)Ga_(0.1)As 1011 Al_(0.5)Ga_(0.5)As 20 nm Lower GRIN-SCHstructure 1012 Al_(0.1)Ga_(0.9)As 15 nm Lower GRIN-SCH structure 1013GaAs 10 nm Lower GRIN-SCH structure 1014 In_(0.04)Ga_(0.96)As 7.5 nmQuantum well emitting @ 960 nm to 970 nm 1015 GaAs 10 nm Upper GRIN-SCHstructure 1016 Al_(0.1)Ga_(0.9)As 15 nm Upper GRIN-SCH structure 1017Al_(0.5)Ga_(0.5)As 20 nm Upper GRIN-SCH structure 1018 p-doped 20 nmUpper GRIN-SCH structure Al_(0.9)Ga_(0.1)As 1019 p-doped GaAs 78 nmUpper GRIN-SCH structure 1020 Air 1021 p electrode 1022 n electrode

FIG. 11 shows in detail an example of a photonic quasicrystal LED designin accordance with the present invention, with a twelve-fold symmetricphotonic quasicrystal arrangement of air rods 1103. The thicknesses ofthe various layers are not to scale for clarity. FIG. 11 a is aperspective view of the LED and FIG. 11 b is a cross section of the samestructure.

Table B below shows the various layers referenced in FIG. 11 with theirthicknesses and material type.

ITEM COMPOUND THICKNESS 1101 p contact 1102 p doped material 200 nm 1103Photonic quasicrystal arrangement ~350 nm spacing between closestneighbour rods 1104 n contact 1105 DBR mirror multilayer stack 5 × (208nm) 1106 Air/infilled rods ~200 nm etch depth 1107 p doped material 78nm 1108 Active layer 140 nm 1109 n doped material 78 nm 1110 p contact1111 p doped material 200 nm 1112 DBR mirror multilayer stack. 5 × (208)nm 1113 n contact 1114 n doped material 78 nm 1115 substrate 400 nm

The LED shown in FIG. 11 can be formed in the same manner as describedwith reference to FIG. 10. The photonic quasicrystal is formed using anadditional photolithographic etch. The etched holes may subsequently befilled with another material.

The LED emits light over the extent of the photonic quasicrystal region.The actual quasicrystal pattern used in an LED depends on theapplication. As described above, ordinary 2-dimensional photoniccrystals give rise to undesirable far field diffraction patterns. Aregular four fold symmetric square lattice Photonic Crystal (PC)possesses a regular arrangement of bright Bragg spots in the far field,as shown in FIG. 8. If the symmetry is increased to six-fold, atriangular lattice PC projects a far field emission with a similarlattice pattern.

To rapidly predict the far field emission pattern generated by the LEDdue to the patterned photonic tiling imprint, a two dimensional opticaltransform of the photonic tiling is calculated. The arrangement of Braggpeaks formed by the transform represent the bright spots generated ifthe light projected from the top of the LED structure is collected inthe far field on an observation plane.

In order to get a reasonably uniform far-field illumination it ispreferred that the Fourier transform of the array of regions in thequasicrystal has an order of rotational symmetry greater than six.

A photonic quasicrystal (PQC) can be designed to possess a highlysymmetric structure, such as the 12-fold symmetric square-triangletiling PQC shown in FIG. 12. FIG. 12 a illustrates the LED structure incross-section with the arrow 1201 signifying the light coupling out ofthe structure. Light is generated in the active layer 1202 and isextracted by the photonic quasicrystal 1203. The escape cone angle ofthe LED is shown as 1204. FIG. 12 b shows a perspective view of the LEDof FIG. 12 a, more clearly illustrating the quasicrystal pattern. Theresulting diffraction pattern in the far field is also shown. FIG. 12 cis an enlarged view of the far field diffraction pattern. The 12-foldsymmetric structure provides more Bragg peaks in the Fourier space thana regular photonic crystal, 12 bright peaks surrounding a central Braggspot in the case of the example shown in FIG. 12 c, and leads to a morecircular diffraction pattern rather than the bright Bragg spotsgenerated by a regular PC lattice. The generation of a greater number offar field spots in a given area provides more even illumination.

Alternatively, to provide a more circular and even illuminationalternative higher order symmetry structures could also be used, such asthe sunflower structure.

The sunflower structure is based on a Fibonacci spiral pattern.Preferably, in a Cartesian coordinate system, the Fibonacci spiralpattern is defined as x_(n)=cos(nφ)√n and y_(n)=sin(nφ)√n whereφ=π(√5−1), and where n is the integer index for a point in the pattern.To generate the pattern a point is plotted for each value of n. Thosevalues may be n=1, 2, 3, 4 . . . etc. Alternatively, certain values of nmay selectively omitted to create defects, ring patterns or zone plates.For example, odd values for n may be omitted leaving n=4, 6, 8, 10 . . .etc. In the Photonic quasicrystal, rods are placed at each of thegenerated points.

FIG. 13 shows the resultant far field emission from the sunflowerphotonic quasicrystal structure. The sunflower provides an even ringlike far field emission. Light is emitted across the extent of thephotonic quasicrystal structure. The circularly symmetric band structureand band gap provides a compact microcavity where the light emission isgreatly enhanced. Additionally, the sunflower pattern provides foroptimal packing of rods which enhances light extraction. Each rodpossesses a set amount of light extraction ability. Introducing agreater number of rods in a unit area provides increased effectivefilling fraction and hence increased light extraction.

To provide improved extraction efficiency into specific far fieldemission cones different parameters can be varied. The spacing betweenneighbouring photonic quasicrystal rods, etch depth, rod diameter androd shape can be altered (as shown in FIG. 14 and FIG. 15). FIG. 14shows the effect of varying the rod diameter and rod etch depth in aphotonic quasicrystal in an LED. The light emitted from an LED structureincorporating a photonic quasicrystal 1405 is indicated as 1401. Theangular dependency of the emitted light is shown as an inset plot 1402of angle versus intensity. Reduction of the rod diameter is indicated byarrow 1404. The light 1403 emitted from the altered structure isreduced, as shown by inset graph 1406. Reducing the etch depth of therods is indicated by arrow 1408. It can be seen in inset graph 1409 thatthe angle over which light is emitted is reduced by reducing etch depth.

FIG. 15 shows two different possible rod shapes. FIG. 15 a shows rods1501 of square cross-section, positioned above the active layer 1502 ofan LED. The rods 1501 are covered by an overlying layer. FIG. 15 b showsa similar structure to FIG. 15 a, with rods 1505 positioned above anactive layer 1506. In this example, the rods are of circularcross-section.

Additionally, the position of the photonic quasicrystal layer relativeto the active layer (denoted by 1504 on FIG. 15) can also be altered toprovide tuning. The photonic quasicrystal can also equally be locatedbelow the active layer. These will alter the emission properties byextracting light at different efficiencies for different angulardirections while also affecting the far field emission profile.

The position of the photonic quasicrystal layer with respect to theactive layer is highlighted by 1504 as shown in FIG. 15. This variableis particularly critical in the enhancement of spontaneous emission fromthe active layer. The closer the photonic quasicrystal layer is to theactive layer, the stronger the interaction of the emitted light with thephotonic quasicrystal band structure. For the strongest interaction, aphotonic quasicrystal layer is formed above and below the active regionwith spacing 1504 set to zero and preferably in the active layer as wellif surface recombination is not critical, such as in a GaN materialsystem discussed with reference to FIG. 9 d.

In any case, the photonic quasicrystal must be close enough to theactive layer that the evanescent field of an optical mode in the activelayer interacts with the photonic quasicrystal to set up a cavity mode.In a cavity mode, the mode is confined in the plane of the active layerand will eventually escape out of plane.

The photonic quasicrystal can also be formed in a thin layer of metal(such as 50 nm of Silver). This layer can be deposited on top of theactive core. An interaction between the metal photonic quasicrystal(which can set up quasiperiodic surface plasmon modes) and thespontaneous emission allows the light to confine very strongly in theactive layer introducing orders of magnitude increase in spontaneousemission.

A key point for the use of photonic quasicrystal tilings in LEDs forlight extraction is to avoid short range order, which eliminates thebright Bragg peaks, and the exploitation of the long range order toprovide smooth, ring like interferences in the far field.

In an alternative arrangement, a repeated section of a Photonicquasicrystal formed by a number of rods 1603 can be used in an LEDstructure. A finite number of elements from a quasicrystal tiling areselected as a supercell 1602. This supercell 1602 is then repeated in aperiodic fashion to provide a large area photonic bandstructure 1601with a highly symmetric diffractive nature, as shown in FIG. 16.

It should be noted that it is possible to generate cone like far fieldemission by the use of etched zone plate structures. These are composedof concentric etched rings, where the central region is designed to beactive.

The structures of the present invention are preferred to zone plate typestructures for both structural and optical reasons. Structurally, lessmaterial is etched (quicker and more reliable manufacturing) providing astructurally more robust design with the pattern being more connected.

Optically, the benefits are also greater. In the case of the zone plate,the active region is confined in the centre of the structure, where alarge emitting area is surrounded by the zone plates. This leads to alarge central area with no extraction capability, hence in this regionlight is only allowed to emit in the narrow escape cone and also tototally internally reflect. The totally internally reflected light isstrongly attenuated and hence only minimal light extraction enhancementsare achieved. This is shown in FIG. 17. FIG. 17 a shows a zone platestructure 1702 which, in an LED, gives rise to ring-like emission 1701.FIG. 17 b shows the structure of FIG. 17 a in cross-section. Light fromthe active layer 1704 is strongly attenuated at the centre of the zoneplate as indicated by 1703.

The structure is only symmetric around the central disc, hence if lightis emitted at the periphery of the disc or in between the zone platesthe light is not extracted at the same cone angle hence leading to aghosting effect in the far field emission.

Furthermore, these structures do not benefit from Purcell typeenhancements, because they do not set up cavity or localised modesinside the active layer.

In the case of a Photonic quasicrystal, the highly diffractive structureis not defined by a radially symmetric structure; hence if light isemitted in any location in the structure it will interact with the bandstructure and couple out of the structure and generate the correct farfield emission cone. This provides the capability of large areasemitting at a very well defined cone angle.

In another aspect of the present invention, amorphous photonic typestructures are used in LED structures to provide a single central Braggspot. In such a tiling the spacing between the rods is fixed and arandom rotation around each rod determines the location of the next rod.These structures can potentially possess bandgaps due to the Miescattering behaviour of the rods. However, these structures have acharacteristic strong photon localisation. Optical modes can randomlyscatter across the structure from one scattering centre (in this casethe rods) to the other, eventually setting up very strong Andersonlocalisation. The modes set up by the localisation can possess very highQ factors (˜10000).

Additionally, the amorphous patterning provides no form of coherentinterference in the far-field and even illumination can be seen, asshown in FIG. 18. The amorphous pattern of rods is indicated by 1801. AnLED structure 1802 incorporating this type of pattern gives rise topredictably uniform illumination 1803 in the far field.

LEDs have numerous application, for example, traffic lights, headlights,IR emitting objects for sensing, projection and domestic lighting. Thepresent invention provides improved LEDs for all these applicationsthrough improved efficiency and through the form of the light output.

In a further aspect of the present invention, LED structures can haveetched photonic quasicrystal rods filled with a tunable material. Thiscould be an electrically tunable material or a liquid crystal. Thematerial will respond by altering the refractive index of the rods,changing the band structure of the photonic quasicrystal. In thisarrangement the level of confinement of the light as well as theabsolute wavelength can be tuned. This in turn can alter the emissionproperties by either preferentially emitting at a slightly differentwavelength or different intensity from the LED which may possess a broadwavelength emission range. In an application where the LED is used togenerate light for a projector, this can offer a means of providingdifferent mood settings (warm colours for movies, or maximum brightnessfor presentations). An example of this set up is shown in FIG. 19. AnLED structure having an active layer 1906 emits light 1904 from its topsurface at a region having a photonic quasicrystal structure 1905 aspreviously described. The rods of the photonic quasicrystal are filledwith a material with a refractive index that can be tuned by theapplication of an electric field. The electric field is applied acrossthe structure from a voltage source 1907. The emission 1904 from thestructure is shown in plot 1902, which is a plot of emission versuswavelength. The dotted line indicates the emission characteristic of theactive layer 1906. A small portion of the band of wavelengths is emittedfrom the top of the structure as a result of the photonic band structureof the photonic quasicrystal. By tuning the refractive index of the rods1905 the emitted band of wavelengths can be selected.

1-17. (canceled)
 18. A light emitting diode (LED) structure comprising afirst layer, a second layer, and a light-generating layer disposedbetween the first and second layers, the first layer having an uppersurface distal the light-generating layer and a lower surface proximatethe light-generating layer, wherein light generated in thelight-generating layer by spontaneous emission emerges from the LEDstructure through the upper surface of the first layer, the first layercomprising a first region having a first refractive index and furthercomprising a 2-dimensional photonic quasicrystal, wherein the photonicquasicrystal comprises an array of sub-regions exhibiting long rangeorder but short range disorder, each sub-region having a secondrefractive index different to the first refractive index, and whereinthe sub-regions do not extend to the upper surface of the first layer.19. A light emitting diode (LED) structure according to claim 18,wherein the Fourier transform of the array has a degree of rotationalsymmetry n, where n>6.
 20. A light emitting diode (LED) structureaccording to claim 18, wherein the photonic quasicrystal is designed tohave a bandgap that overlaps with the emission spectrum of the activelayer in the LED.
 21. A light emitting diode (LED) structure accordingto claim 20, wherein the bandgap extends in all directions and for allpolarisations.
 22. A light emitting diode (LED) structure according toclaim 18, wherein the array is in the form of a Fibonacci spiralpattern.
 23. A light emitting diode (LED) structure according to claim18, wherein the array is in a Penrose tiling pattern.
 24. A lightemitting diode (LED) structure according to claim 18, wherein a sectionof the photonic quasicrystal is repeated periodically.
 25. A lightemitting diode (LED) structure according to claim 18, wherein thesubregions comprise a tunable material.
 26. A light emitting diode (LED)structure comprising a first layer and a light-generating layer, thefirst layer comprising a first region having a first refractive indexand further comprising a 2-dimensional photonic band structure, whereinthe photonic band structure comprises an array of sub-regions having asecond refractive index different to the first refractive index, whereineach sub-region has a predetermined constant spacing from at least oneother sub-region and each sub-region is spaced from all othersub-regions by a predetermined minimum distance and wherein the array ofsub-regions is amorphous.
 27. A light emitting diode (LED) structurecomprising a first layer, a second layer, and a light-generating layerdisposed between the first and second layers, the first layer having anupper surface distal the light-generating layer and a lower surfaceproximate the light-generating layer, wherein light generated in thelight-generating layer emerges from the LED structure through the uppersurface of the first layer, the first layer comprising a zone platestructure.
 28. A light emitting diode (LED) structure according to claim27, wherein the zone plate structure is etched into the upper surface ofthe first layer.
 29. A light emitting diode (LED) structure according toclaim 27, wherein the zone plate structure comprises a plurality ofconcentric rings.